Army Unveils First Military Fuel Cell Fleet

The U.S. Army unveiled on February 22 a fleet of 16 hydrogen fuel cell vehicles that the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines in Hawaii are testing in an effort to research renewable energy sources and reduce dependence on oil. The zero-emission vehicles were funded by the Army Tank Automotive Research Development Engineering Center, Office of Naval Research, and Air Force Research Laboratories. The fuel cell vehicles, powered by renewable hydrogen, travel up to 200 miles on a single charge and refuel in five minutes.

The fleet of fuel cell vehicles is the latest effort of the Hawaii Hydrogen Initiative, a partnership of 13 agencies, companies, and universities. The group is also testing hydrogen infrastructure elements so that other states can adopt a similar approach. DOE's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy is providing technical and economic analysis of the vehicles. DOE has been funding the research and development of hydrogen and fuel cell technologies, such as catalysts and membranes, over the last decade. Such technologies are enabling the deployment of fuel cell vehicles and stations like those in Hawaii. See the Army press release and DOE's Fuel Cell Technologies Program website.